


hearts and universes

by croissantbleu



Category: Given (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life, i have read the manga but choosing to ignore it rn, set right after the end of the anime, they're just gays in love y'all that's it, with the anime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-12 13:26:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21477121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/croissantbleu/pseuds/croissantbleu
Summary: Ritsuka is used to being in control. He’s used to it, used to managing school, his part-time job, the band, and his sister, all at once - it’s no big deal, really. Or at least it wasn’t, until he stumbled upon a certain boy with soft eyes and broken guitar strings, and suddenly there was a whole new world of feelings opening to him, and he didn’t quite know how to deal with it.Or an exploration of his and Mafuyu's new relationship.
Relationships: Satou Mafuyu/Uenoyama Ritsuka
Comments: 10
Kudos: 225





	hearts and universes

**Author's Note:**

> thank you neha for reading this over for me you're a legend and ily!!  
English isn't my first language and I wrote this in five days so, apologies if there are any mistakes, I truly did my best. It's my first time writing these two but there will most definitely be more to come in the future, so I hope you'll like it!  
This is based only on the anime, I did read the manga but it's purposefully set right after the anime ending so I can make them have actual discussions because that is All I want in life

Ritsuka is used to being in control. He’s used to it, used to managing school, his part-time job, the band, and his sister, all at once - it’s no big deal, really. Or at least it wasn’t, until he stumbled upon a certain boy with soft eyes and broken guitar strings, and suddenly there was a whole new world of feelings opening to him, and he didn’t quite know how to deal with it. It’s better now, though, he just needed some time to figure things out - time, and talking things out with Akihiko. Mafuyu’s confession helped, too, it is easier to settle things once he knew it was mutual - and once his heart stopped feeling like it would jump out of his chest every time Mafuyu looked at him.

“I thought we were supposed to be careful,” Mafuyu says, walking beside him.

“We’re not doing anything out of the ordinary,” Ritsuka glances at him. “You were working as usual, and I just had to talk to people at the concert hall about a future show, and now we’re just going home. Nothing weird about that,” he raises an eyebrow.

There’s a flash of amusement crossing Mafuyu’s face for a second.

“You waited an hour until I was done with work so you could leave with me,” he points out.

“I had nothing better to do,” Ritsuka shrugs.

“You’re still walking me home.”

“Ahhh,” Ritsuka raises his hands in frustration. “You got me. Don’t have an answer to that one. I won’t tell Haruki if you don’t.”

He hears a chuckle coming from Mafuyu and looks down to see him smiling, his eyes half closed, and he’s pretty sure his heart just skipped a beat.

“It’s okay,” Mafuyu says. “Everyone knows you’re nice, anyways, it’s not that weird.”

“Oh,” he tries to fight the smile he feels growing on his lips. “Thank you?”

It’s disconcerting, the effect Mafuyu has on him. He feels like he should be starting to get used to it, to the sincerity that poured out of him so easily when he least expects it, but he can’t seem to get over it. And, if he’s honest, he’s not sure he really wants to.

“Ritsuka?”

Mafuyu’s voice tears him away from his thoughts. “Hm?”

“We have exams soon,” he states calmly.

“Yeah,” Ristuka sighs, mindlessly rubbing the back of his neck. “Are you nervous?”

Mafuyu takes a second or two to reply, their footsteps echoing in the empty night of the street. Ritsuka’s hand twitches, itching to reach out, but he shoves it in his pocket instead.

“Not really,” he replies eventually. “I was just wondering…”

“Yeah?” Ritsuka encourages him when he trails off.

“Would you like to study together? Since we’re both in the science course, that could be helpful. Ueki and Itaya offered, too, but they’re distracting.”

Ristuka can’t hold back a laugh at that, and hooks his right arm around Mafuyu’s shoulders, not missing the hint of red he can see blooming across his cheeks.

“Yeah, you’re right, they’re not always the best to study with.”

“Hm,” Mafuyu’s smile is faint, but it’s there. “So?”

“Oh, sorry. Yes, sure, that’s a good idea,” Ristuka nods. “Your place? I’d offer mine but Yayoi would probably be there and be annoying,” he grimaces, taking his arm off Mafuyu’s shoulder to scratch the back of his neck.

“Okay. Is tomorrow fine, after school?”

“Sounds good,” he grins.

Mafuyu’s eyes close for a second as his smile widens, and he looks so open and earnest that Ritsuka suddenly hopes it is dark enough to hide the redness he feels burning his cheeks.

“You’re making a face,” Mafuyu says, and laughs when it makes Ritsuka splutter, before lightly bumping his shoulder against his.

“You know damn well why I’m making a face,” Ritsuka protests, but he can’t help the way his face softens.

Mafuyu hums quietly as they keep walking, and Ritsuka thinks to himself that if he wasn’t in love already, that would be enough to make him fall for him entirely. Their arms brush against each other occasionally and part of him is dying to just reach out, take Mafuyu’s hand in his and link their fingers together, but he doesn’t. He’s not sure how much he’s allowed, not sure where the line is, so he prefers to play it safe, at least for now. They’ll have to talk, eventually, but he’s acutely aware communication isn’t always his strong point, so he’s being a coward instead. But they’ll talk, just not today.

He doesn’t realize they’ve arrived until he follows Mafuyu up the stairs leading to the apartment. 

“Do you want to come in?” Mafuyu offers before opening the door, hand on the handle.

“Nah,” Ritsuka shakes his head. “It’s pretty late, I should head home too.”

Mafuyu nods and brings his other hand up to cup the back of Ritsuka’s head, softly pulling him into a kiss.

“Thank you for walking with me,” he says after moving away, tilting his head to the side so slightly it’s barely noticeable.

“A-Ah, you’re welcome,” Ritsuka looks away, fighting the sudden overwhelming urge to lie face down on the floor. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Mafuyu smiles discreetly again. “Get back safe.”

“Don’t worry,” Ritsuka grins, giving him a wave before turning around.

He hears the door opening and closing as he goes down the stairs and bites back a smile to himself.

“About time,” Yayoi groans from the couch as soon as he walks in. “I was about to start dinner without you.”

“Shut up,” he mumbles.

“Hey, your face is all red, are you running a fever?” she frowns, sitting up.

“No, no, I’m fine, just- walked fast,” he lies through his teeth. “Don’t wait for me I’m- I’m going to lie down for a minute. Will be right back,” he adds, heading to his room without listening to her.

He lets himself fall on his bed, looking at the ceiling for a moment, faint warmth still clinging to his cheeks, before rolling on his side. The floor is a mess, he notes vaguely, music sheets mixing with the lessons he was studying last night. He’s tempted to get out his guitar and continue working on this song, but Yayoi would probably kill him if he started playing instead of coming to dinner, so that would have to wait just a little longer. He sighs and forces himself up, dragging himself out of the room. 

He really should consider getting some sleep at some point, too. He did promise Ueki and Itaya he’d play basketball with them tomorrow, and it’s hard enough to make himself be active instead of hiding for a nap usually, nevermind if he’s even more tired.

“Man, you’re ditching us again?” Itaya complains, both hands resting behind his neck. 

“I was at basketball with you,” Ritsuka points out, slinging his backpack on his shoulder.

He has left his guitar at home again, since he didn’t count on playing during lunch and there was no band practice planned today.

“Yeah, but…”

“Hey, I don’t blame him for not wanting to study with you, dude, you’re a nightmare,” Ueki cuts him off, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’d ditch you too, if I could.”

“Hey!” Itaya protests. “Don’t make it sound like I’m holding you hostage.”

Ritsuka leans back against his desk, watching them bicker back and forth for a bit until he spots Mafuyu waiting by the door.

“Alright, I’m off,” he stands up. “Good luck,” he adds, looking at Ueki.

“Thanks,” Ueki smiles, “I’ll need it.”

Ritsuka ignores Itaya’s further protestations and walks up to Mafuyu. “Hey. Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” he nods.

Mafuyu’s hand brushes against Ritsuka for a second when they start walking down the hallway, and he puts it in his pocket, like he doesn’t trust himself not to blow up their cover. Maybe he doesn’t. He definitely doesn’t, he thinks when he catches the way a ray of sunlight falls perfectly on Mafuyu’s hair and makes it look like it caught on fire, and Ritsuka has to tear his eyes away before he finds himself staring.

"You look tired," Mafuyu says after staying silent for a moment. 

"Ah," Ritsuka runs a hand through his hair. "Yeah, that's what I get for not taking a nap."

"Are you going to be okay, studying? We can do that tomorrow if you'd rather rest," there's concern in his eyes when Ritsuka looks at him that makes his heart grow a few sizes. 

"I'm fine," he gives him a little smile. "And I really need to study, if it's just me I'll send up on my guitar instead."

"Okay," Mafuyu nods, looking in front of him again. "If you're sure." 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure, don't worry about me," Ritsuka pats him on the head, chuckling at the faint blush he sees creeping up his neck. 

He ruffles Mafuyu’s hair a little before taking his hand away, just to be annoying, and he bites back another smile at the quiet noise of protestation it draws.

Honestly, Ritsuka should have known he wouldn’t get much work done. He’s been quietly playing with Kedama for a bit now, mainly because he’d rather do pretty much anything instead of actually working on his history notes. He steals glances at Mafuyu once in a while, not fully sure whether he’s really focused or just staring blankly at his notebook, but not wanting to disturb him either way. 

He finds that Mafuyu is usually pretty easy to read, unlike what he thought at first. It just takes a moment to get used to it. But he knows now, knows that he responds better to clear statements, knows the look in his eyes when he’s excited about something, knows that he gets anxious about being late, knows the air he gets on his face when he’s holding his emotions back - although he seems to do it gradually less often now, like he's slowly relearning that it's okay -, knows how he tends to seek even the slightest physical contact when he gets overwhelmed. 

The same way, Mafuyu knows not to take it personally when Ritsuka’s being harsh during practice because he’s harsh with everyone, and he knows to push back when he’s going too far, and he knows Ritsuka can get stuck in his own head sometimes, overthinking everything he could possibly think of, and he knows how to help him snap out of it.

They’re both a long way from where they started, Ristuka thinks.

Kedama whines in front of him, interrupting his thoughts, and he scratches the dog's head for a second before standing up and taking the empty cups of tea from the table.

“I’ll go wash these,” he says, making Mafuyu look up at him. “Or do you want more tea?”

“No, I’m okay, but you don’t need to…”

“It’s fine,” Ritsuka shrugs. “Might as well make myself useful while I’m here, if I’m not going to study.”

There’s a faint smile on Mafuyu’s face when he nods. 

It barely takes him a few minutes, getting into the kitchen, washing both cups and quickly drying them before heading back to Mafuyu's room, but it feels good to stretch his legs a bit. Mafuyu glances up at him again when he opens the door, and he looks like he's about to say something before changing his mind and looking down at his notes.

"What is it?" Ritsuka asks as he sits down, picking up Kedama and presenting him to Mafuyu when the silence stretches across a few seconds.

"Nothing," he says, reaching out to pat the pomeranian's head, and there's an expression on his face that Ritsuka can't quite place. "I just... Nevermind. It doesn't matter."

Ritsuka stays quiet for a mind, watching Mafuyu's furrowed brows as he mindlessly plays with his pen, before his mind stops on when he's seen him make that face before.

"Was it about Yuuki?"

Ah, yes, the surprise in Mafuyu’s eyes when he abruptly looks up is enough that he knows he was right, and he sees the way his fingers curls into a fist, and how he seems to melt into the touch when Ritsuka tentatively puts his own hand on top.

"Come here," he says. 

He wraps his arms around Mafuyu’s waist, pulling him closer until his chest is pressed against his back, and he briefly wonders if Mafuyu could feel the way his heart just jumped when he put his hands over his. He could almost fall asleep like that, he thinks, his face buried in Mafuyu’s hair, listening to his slow breathing.

"You know," he says after a while. "You can talk about him, if you want to. You don't have to stop yourself on my behalf." 

Mafuyu stays quiet for a moment. "Really?" 

"Yeah," he breathes. "I mean, I know he was important to you, I'm not trying to pretend he wasn't. And I’m not trying to replace him either, or whatever,” he’s glad Mafuyu can’t see him right now. “And I- I don't want you to feel like you have to keep things to yourself, if you don't want to."

Again, Mafuyu's answer comes after a few seconds. "You really are more thoughtful than you let people think, huh?" 

"Hey," Ritsuka protests. “What is that supposed to mean?” 

"He was important," he continues, ignoring him. "He still is, in a way, I think." He turns around to look at Ritsuka, like he’s searching for something in his eyes, and he must have found it because he breaks into a sudden smile. "But I love you now."

"I know that," Ritsuka mumbles, casting his eyes to the ground like it's going to do anything to hide the warmth quickly growing in his cheeks. 

Mafuyu gently takes Ritsuka's face in his hands, making him look at him again.

"Thank you," he whispers before he leans in to kiss him, and Ritsuka feels like his heart is about to melt. 

“Don’t want to keep you from studying,” Ritsuka says when he moves away. “I was barely getting anything done but you looked like you were doing well.”

“Mmh,” Mafuyu pouts. “But this is more fun.”

There’s a burst of laughter that escapes from Ritsuka’s lungs and makes Mafuyu’s eyes light up, leaning into the touch as Ritsuka lightly brushes his thumb across his cheek before wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

“It really is more fun, I will give you that,” he says, and he’s still smiling when he pulls Mafuyu in to kiss him again.

“Remind me why I agreed to come with you again?” Ritsuka sighs. “You made me take my guitar when I don’t even have band practice today.”

“Because you bailed on us the other day,” Itaya grins. “And Ueki’s place is closer to school than yours.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You owe me yakisoba bread,” Ritsuka waves a hand dismissively.

They keep going most of the way, until Ueki hits them both over the head and says they’re being obnoxious, and even Itaya has the good sense to stay quiet until they walk in Ueki’s room.

“What do you want to hear?” Ritsuka asks, sitting down and getting his guitar out of its case, starting to tune it.

“I dunno, something cool,” Itaya shrugs.

Ritsuka snorts without looking up. “You sound like Mafuyu the first time he came to listen to the band, make an effort.”

“What about the first song you guys played at the live?” Ueki steps in. “I think we were all taken aback by the singing, so I didn’t pay as much attention to the rest as I would’ve liked.”

“Ha, yeah, can’t blame you,” he bites back a smile. “He took us all by surprise. Alright, here we go,” he says, fingers pinching the first chords.

The other two are quiet, but he probably wouldn’t notice even if they tried to talk to him. He hasn’t really played that song since the live, and he can still hear Mafuyu’s lyrics like he’s yelling them right next to him. He lets the last note resonate for a second, accompanied by polite clapping from Itaya and Ueki.

“Oi, what’s with the lack of enthusiasm? You asked for it!”

“Calm down,” Itaya laughs. “It’s just two of us, we’re not exactly going to match the cheers of a crowd.”

Ritsuka groans and Itaya pokes him in the ribs, moving away before he has a chance to react.

“You wrote that song, right?” Ueki asks, quickly pulling Itaya back by grabbing the collar of his shirt so Ritsuka’s hand misses him.

“Mh? Oh, yeah. Well, Mafuyu came up with the basic melody actually, I just built up on it,” he shrugs. “Wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“You say that,” Itaya shrugs. “But I’m sure he appreciated you composing a song for him.”

Ritsuka feels the blood rushing to his cheeks instantly.

“It wasn’t- I mean, I didn’t- I just, uh,” he stammers, under the amused look of his friends. “I didn’t- I didn’t write that for him, the melody was just stuck in my head and I-”

“Hey, hey, breathe,” Ueki cuts him off, like he’s taking pity on him. “We know about you both, Itaya’s just messing with you.”

“You- What do you mean, you know?”

“You haven’t exactly been stealthy about it,” Itaya laughs, reaching out to tap his shoulder. “Not when we know you, anyway, it was obvious from the beginning that you liked him.”

Ritsuka lets his head falls in his hands, as if that’s going to help the fire that seems to be raging under his skin.

“Sato wasn’t really better, though, if that makes you feel better,” Ueki adds. “But, yeah, it was pretty clear in your case- I mean, you spent almost all your time with him, and you won’t tell me it was just for the band.”

“It  _ was  _ for the band!” he protests, looking up in a sharp move. “Well, mostly, anyway.”

“I wish you could see your face right now,” Itaya says, and Ritsuka isn’t sure he likes that smile.

“I know what my face looks like!” he hides behind his hands again. “Shut up,” he grumbles when Itaya just laughs again. “I should’ve known this was a trap.”

“It’s not a trap if it was done with good intentions,” Ueki counters. “Anyways, it’s nice to see you smile more.”

Ritsuka can’t help but shoot him a surprised glance from behind his fingers. “Really?”

“Yeah!” Itaya nods enthusiastically. “Maybe it’s not obvious at first, but you’ve always got that stupid little smirk.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“You do! Ueki, tell him he does.”

“You didn’t have to call it a stupid smirk,” Ueki sighs. “But, yeah, you do. I thought you would’ve noticed.” Ritsuka shakes his head slowly. “Ah, well, like we said I doubt anyone else has a clue anyways. You guys want to keep this quiet, right?”

“Yeah, for now at least. I think Haruki would kick me out of the band if it got out,” he snickers.

“We got you,” Itaya says, punching his shoulder in emphasis. “Now play something else or I’m going to think you’re actually a fraud and only know that one song.”

Ritsuka rolls his eyes, but he picks up the guitar again.

Ritsuka is used to being in control, but it seems like every moment he spends with Mafuyu makes him learn to let go a little more. And it’s slightly weird, at times, because he was so used to knowing exactly what he was doing until Mafuyu came around, and now he’s extremely aware of the fact that Mafuyu has a lot more experience than him with this whole dating thing. It’s not that he minds, of course not - he’s just worried sometimes, that he’s not doing things right. But he’s learning, even if it feels excruciatingly slow, to try, and see, and  _ ask  _ what’s okay, and it’s a little nerve-wracking occasionally but, in the end, he wouldn’t ask for anything else. 

So when he brings up the idea of going to a museum for an afternoon to celebrate finally being done with exams before they get their results and know if they have to take supplementary lessons or not (Ritsuka’s fairly sure he won’t be able to escape it, but that’s not the point right now), saying that he’s nervous would be kindly understating it. But even over text Mafuyu seems excited, like it’s the best idea he’s ever heard, and even more when Ritsuka says he was thinking about the polar science museum, and before he knows it they’re both on a train on the way there.

“You got that look in your eyes,” Ritsuka comments, trying not to focus on how weird it is to be on a train with him and without their guitars.

“Hm?”

“The one you do when you’re really looking forward to something,” he explains. “It’s the same as when we planned to do the live.”

“Oh,” Mafuyu says, and he smiles a little. “I mean yes, I am looking forward to it. I read about it on the website, it looks like a great place. And I like discovering things.”

“I’m glad,” Ritsuka looks forward again. “I thought you’d like it.”

Mafuyu hums contentedly and it gradually turns into a melody, and he seems lost in thought, staring out the window, when Ritsuka steals a glance towards him. He smiles and sits back, arms crossed, simply listening to his quiet song.

It doesn’t take too much longer until they’re walking out of the station, following the directions to the museum. They’re both silent, just accompanied by the sounds of birds and crickets and their shoes hitting the ground. It’s nice, Ritsuka thinks, just spending time with Mafuyu without it having to do with school or with the band for once, and he doesn’t mind that neither of them is talking - he kind of likes it, actually, it’s an easy and comforting kind of silence. 

He can tell the exact moment Mafuyu sees the statues outside the museum because he hears him gasp, and he doesn’t need to look at him to know there’s stars in his eyes - he can practically feel the aura of excitement radiating from him.

“Ritsuka?”

“Hm?” he bites back a smile.

“There are statues of dogs,” Mafuyu says.

He sounds calmer than expected, and when Ritsuka glances over at him, he finds him staring at the statues. 

“There sure are,” he says. “Do you want to take a picture?”

He can’t hold in his laugh when Mafuyu looks up at him with as much enthusiasm as Kedama whenever someone walks through the door. “Can we?”

“If you want to, of course,” Ritsuka shrugs. “Why not?”

Mafuyu breaks into a wide grin and rushes towards the side of the building where the statues are, Ritsuka following closely. 

Mafuyu motions at him to come closer. “You should be in the picture too!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah! I want to remember it,” he does that closed-eyes smile that always has Ritsuka weak in the knees and, sure enough, it doesn’t fail that time either.

“Not posting that one on twitter, I guess,” Ristuka mumbles after Mafuyu has taken the picture.

It’s a nice photo, he thinks, but it definitely looks very much like a date and neither of them could pretend the red on their cheeks is only from how warm it is - he doesn’t want to test Haruki’s limits  _ that  _ much.

“Probably not,” Mafuyu smiles. “I’ll send it to you later.”

“Thanks. Ready to go in?”

Mafuyu nods, and they head towards the entrance. Ritsuka is hit by the temperature difference as soon as they walk in, and he's glad to see Mafuyu putting on a cardigan and a scarf - at least one of them had the common sense to think ahead. He should’ve expected it to be cold, really, and he’s embarrassed enough about it that he refuses to admit he’s freezing, just shoves his hand deep in his pockets and decides to tough it out as they walk around the exhibit - and it works for a little bit, until he shivers violently and Mafuyu’s eyes fall on him.

“You look cold. Here,” he says, removing his scarf and wrapping it around Ritsuka’s neck before he has a chance to react. “You should have said something earlier.”

“Don’t lecture me,” Ritsuka groans, pulling the cloth over his nose to hide the blush he knows is quickly appearing on his cheeks. “Thank you.”

Mafuyu smiles in response and grabs his wrist, pulling him along. “Look! There are meteorites.”

He doesn’t let go for a while, and Ritsuka’s glad the scarf is covering the bottom of his face, because he can’t quite get rid of the smile tugging at his lips as they talk about the rocks viewed under a microscope and the actual Antarctic ice sample. Mafuyu’s still holding his wrist when they walk in the Aurora Theater, and Ritsuka takes advantage of the dim lights to take his hand in his, and he pretends his heart doesn’t skip a beat when Mafuyu rests his head on his shoulder, like it’s just the most natural thing in the world.

He hears Mafuyu's sharp inhale at the same moment his own eyes widen, the screens coming alive with the images of a green aurora. They're silent for a minute again, and Ritsuka can't tear his gaze away from the shifting colours. 

"You know," Mafuyu says quietly. "I did a presentation on these, once." 

Ritsuka lightly presses his cheek against his hair. "Really?" 

"Mmh. In middle school. We had to give a little talk about something we liked, and I wanted to talk about that because I was obsessed with understanding how the pretty lights worked," he adds with a chuckle. "How does it work, then?" 

"You want to know?" Mafuyu lifts his head up to look at him, surprise evident in his eyes. 

"Sure," Ritsuka shrugs. "That sounds interesting."

Mafuyu squeezes his hand and leans back against his shoulder, and he starts talking about the Earth's gravitational field being weaker near the poles, and photons and oxygen atoms and how the energy released by their interactions is what creates the beautiful different colours, and Ritsuka just listens as he keeps looking at the screens. He likes to hear Mafuyu explaining things he's passionate about, be it music or science stuff. 

"Hiiragi teased me about it for so long," he lets out a small laugh. "I can't remember what everyone else did for their presentation though." 

"Yeah, that's the kind of things you forget. I don't think I could remember most of what we did in middle school," Ritsuka says, pensively. “I might’ve been too focused on learning guitar to pay attention to anything else, honestly.”

“That does sound like you,” Mafuyu replies, and Ritsuka can tell he’s smiling.

The screening ends and they move apart just slightly as the lights gradually fade in again, hands slipping away from each other.

“Is there anything we haven’t seen yet? Or that you’d want to go see again?” Ritsuka asks.

“No,” Mafuyu shakes his head. “I’m good. What about you?”

“I’m fine too. Should we head back, then?”

He nods. “Mmh. Can we go see the dog statues again on the way?”

Ritsuka smiles.

“Of course.”

Ritsuka has always found that the end of his shifts tends to drag on for what feels like hours instead of minutes, but it's even worse during the summer, when he can hear the crickets singing loudly just outside while he's stuck organizing shelves. He's used to it by now, but that doesn't make it much more bearable. It's slightly better when he's sharing a shift with Akihiko, because they'll distract each other by doing anything they can think of that won't get them in trouble, but it isn't the case today, unfortunately for him, and he just has to force himself to stay awake when there's no customers and his coworker is busy doing something else. If he's honest, he has to admit that mostly involves hanging in the coolers' area, mostly conscious but just barely.

"Ritsuka?"

He straightens up immediately and turns around in the same movement, shoulders falling in relief when he sees who's there.

"Mafuyu, you scared me. Wait, what are you doing here?" he frowns.

"Sorry. I wanted to talk to Akihiko, but it looks like he's not here," Mafuyu replies, and Ritsuka knows him well enough to notice the flame of mischief dancing in his eyes.

That, and Ritsuka clearly remembers complaining about how he was going to be bored at work because Akihiko wasn't there, just yesterday.

"Yep, it's just me today," he shrugs. 

"Too bad," Mafuyu looks around for a second. "Your shift is nearly over, right?"

"What? I mean, yeah, but..."

"It's almost 10," Mafuyu points at the clock on the wall to his right. "You've said before that that was the latest they'd let you work here since you're since a highschooler."

"Oh, yeah, you're right. That clock is late, by the way, so my shit actually just ended."

"Oh! We can go home together, then," Mafuyu offers him a bright smile.

He knew he was up to something, Ritsuka bites back a smile.

"We can, what a funny coincidence."

"Right?"

Ritsuka can't hold back his laugh, and he pats him on the head. "I'll be right back, give me a minute."

He hurries to the back, quickly getting out of his uniform and grabbing his belongings from the locker, before heading out to join Mafuyu.

"You're a nightmare, you know that?" he grumbles, and the delighted chuckle he gets in response is enough to confirm that, yes, he knows. "Let's go."

They walk in silence for a while, and Ritsuka is just enjoying the slight evening breeze that makes the warmth easier to handle.

"Hey," he says eventually. "How did you even know where I worked?"

"I just asked Akihiko," Mafuyu looks at him like it's an obvious answer. "Said I wanted to surprise you."

"Of course you did," he shakes his head. "I was going to say I'm surprised he told you but, actually, I'm not."

Mafuyu smiles. "I like walking at night," he changes the subject easily. "It's less busy than usual. I like the quiet more."

"Mmh, agreed," Ritsuka nods. "Hey, you should look into noise cancelling earbuds if the sounds tends to bother you.”

“Really? It works?”

“Sure! My dad uses some because he gets migraines, and loud noises make it worse. Remind me to show you, next time.”

“I will! Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, I didn’t do anything,” Ritsuka lets out a short laugh. “Do you want to stop for a minute?”

The street is empty, like it usually is at this hour, and he wants to just take some time to just sit with Mafuyu and talk, without needing a particular reason to meet up. 

“Yeah,” Mafuyu says, sitting down on the bench next to them, before looking up at the sky. “It’s a clear night.”

“Mmh. You can see the stars so clearly out here,” he says, and he can hear the marvel in his own voice.

“I used to look at the stars a lot, when I was a kid,” Mafuyu says after a few minutes of silence. “The lamppost near our house was broken for a while, so they were easy to see from the window, because it was so dark. I don’t know,” he shrugs. “I liked it.”

“Always liked the sky, didn’t you?” Ritsuka smiles a little, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from Mafuyu’s face. “The stars, the northern lights…”

“Mh, I guess,” Mafuyu lets his head fall on his shoulder, and Ritsuka drops a light kiss on top of his hair. “I just like how it changes so slowly you don’t notice it, and suddenly you’re looking at completely different stars than you were a few months before. Reminds me of people. It’s like we all hold a secret universe in our hearts that changes like the sky does night after night.”

“Is that a good or a bad thing?” Ritsuka asks quietly.

“Both,” he answers after a second or two. “It depends on what the changes are, I guess.”

Ritsuka hums. “That’s fair. And sometimes it’s not so easy to tell, I think.”

“Yeah,” Mafuyu sighs. “People are complicated.”

“Yeah,” Ritsuka repeats with a short laugh. “Yeah, they are. But that’s what makes them interesting, too.”

“Mmh.”

They fall back into silence for a little while, and Ritsuka wishes he could just stay here, like this.

“You know,” Mafuyu speaks up suddenly. “I think I’d like to write a song about it, someday. About stars, and people.”

“Thinking ahead, mh?” he teases, and Mafuyu nods against his shoulder. “That’s a good idea,” he adds, looking up at the night sky again. “I’m sure you would make something amazing out of it.” He hears Mafuyu yawn, and laughs again. “Alright, let’s get moving before you fall asleep on me. Come on,” he nudges him until he moves.

“Fine,” Mafuyu rubs his eyes before taking the hand Ritsuka is offering to help him up. “Thank you.”

Ritsuka tells himself he’s only keeping his hand in his in case he trips, so he won’t fall and hurt himself, before wondering why he still feels the need to justify to himself why he wants to hold his boyfriend’s hand.

Maybe it’s not that meeting Mafuyu made him lose control, he thinks suddenly. Maybe it just made him realize he was never in control at all, and it was just an illusion easy to maintain as long as he always did what he was expected to - like how his sound went messy after Mafuyu joined the band, but he was still having so much fun, as if that had been exactly what he had needed to revive the flames of the passion in his chest that had gotten smaller and smaller over the years.

He looks at Mafuyu walking next to him, and the way he seems to have all the stars of the sky reflected in his eyes, and he wonders if the universe he holds in his heart has changed as much as Ritsuka’s has.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you liked it! I loved writing this  
Feel free to tell me your thoughts in the comments, or on twitter over at [@transkrpk](https://twitter.com/transkrpk) !


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